Parting Gifts
by bohemiangirl
Summary: One-shot. When Jen accepts an offer with the Federal Police, will Matt have the courage to ask het to stay?


**PARTING GIFTS**

Matt checked his watch once more. It felt like the millionth time that he had done this. Was it possible for time to go too fast while it was also going too slow? He shook his head and told himself to stop overanalyzing everything.

He couldn't believe that she was leaving. Well, on one hand it hasn't been entirely unexpected. Jen had been headhunted by the undercover unit for some time. She was a brilliant detective and had flown through her undercover training, drawing praise from all circles. He had expected her to change departments but the call from the Feds in Canberra had knocked him for six. Although he had never had her, in an exclusive sense, he felt as though he was losing her and it bothered him to the point where he couldn't sleep at night, he couldn't concentrate on anything and he knew that if he didn't say something soon he would regret it for the rest of his life.

For weeks Matt had appeared to be his jovial yet hardworking self and the time had flown by. Now it was Jen's last day at Homicide and the truth was sinking in.

"Oi, earth to Matthew," Matt snapped back reality as he heard Jen speaking to him. He looked up at her from his desk. She was smiling at him, obviously finding some humour in his strange behaviour that day.

"Come on, I'm taking you all out to lunch," Jen said. "It's my parting gift to you."

"Ah…" Matt stammered, his nerves getting the better of him. "I can't. I have to catch up on this paperwork."

"Oh come on," Simon said from his desk. "It's her last day. It won't kill you to postpone the red tape for an hour."

"I'm really sorry," Matt replied. "It's an important case." He turned his attention back to Jen who looked disheartened. "I'll catch up with you later, yeah?"

"Yeah," Jen said with a sad smile. She turned and left the room, not waiting for others.

"Nice, Matt," Simon spoke up. "Real nice."

*********

Jen, Duncan and Simon sat in their usual table at the pub in what could only be described as one of the most awkward silences that they had experienced, even in their careers as homicide detectives. It should have been a celebratory occasion and yet Simon had ordered one too many beers, Duncan was staring at a scratch on the floor and Jen was picking at her barely eaten food.

Jen couldn't stand it anymore; she nosily pushed her chair back and started walking away in a hurry.

"Jen!" Duncan called out after her. "I'm gonna wring Matt's neck when I see him," he said to Simon before getting to his feet and following Jen outside.

He found her standing with her back against the wall and her hand preventing her face from being seen. As he approached her he could see that she was crying.

"Jen," he started and then stopped. He didn't know what else to say. He knew why she was upset.

"He couldn't spare an hour," Jen said, her voice cracking with emotion. "One hour from his life for the rest of mine." Duncan placed his hand supportively on Jen's shoulder. He couldn't explain why Matt was doing what he was doing. He thought that he had always been fond of Jen. "I saw the case that he was working on," Jen continued. "It wasn't urgent. We cracked it a month ago. He was doing follow up notes."

"Well just think," Duncan said, "soon this will all be behind you and you'll forget all about us little people when you're doing your new job." Jen's reaction made Duncan think that he had said the wrong thing.

"I don't want the bloody job," Jen snapped. "I only took it to see if… God I'm so stupid." Duncan suddenly realised that Jen felt the same way about Matt that Duncan had always suspected Matt had felt about her.

"You took it so that he would ask you to stay," Duncan said, already knowing the answer. Jen nodded and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand.

"It's not that I don't like undercover work," Jen explained. "I do. I just want keep working in Homicide as well. I won't be doing that with the Feds."

"And Canberra's a hole," Duncan said. This made Jen laugh a little.

"And there's that," she said.

*********

When they arrived back at the station, Jen went to sort out some finalities with Bernice while Simon and Duncan went back to Homicide. While Simon sat back at his desk, Duncan went straight to Matt's desk, pulled him to his feet by the collar of his shirt and led him to the men's bathrooms.

"What the-" Matt started as Duncan pushed him against the wall.

"What the bloody hell was that all about?" Duncan demanded. "You didn't have the common decency to even say goodbye to a detective who you owe your life to. I didn't think that you were that kind of cop but I must have misjudged you."

"It's not that," Matt started, in his defence but then found himself lost for words.

"Well what is it?" Duncan asked. "It had better be bloody good." Matt looked away uncomfortably and Duncan suddenly realised. "You're in love with her," he said. Matt nodded, still avoiding eye contact.

"Completely and utterly. And I'm being such a coward about it," he confessed.

"Yeah well I won't argue with you there," Duncan said. Matt looked at him as though he were waiting for advice. "Jesus, what do I look like? Dear Abby?" Duncan asked. "Just be a man about it." That was what Matt needed to hear.

***********

Matt marched back into Homicide, trying to portray an air of confidence as he headed towards Jen's empty desk. He realised that it was empty. All of her things were gone. Matt looked questioningly at Simon.

"She left early," Simon explained from his desk.

"Well why the hell didn't you stop her?" Matt asked irritably, not hanging around for an answer. With the elevator occupied, Matt raced down the stairs, nearly smashing into several people along the way. When he reached the carpark he saw her silver Falcon exiting the carpark and ran at full speed after it. Part of him couldn't believe that he was doing such a thing. It was like something that he would see in those romantic comedies he hated watching.

Jen was driving away from a place that held so many memories for her towards a place where she didn't know anyone and where didn't really want to be. Her hands were shaking and she couldn't stop the tears from streaming down her face. As she left the carpark she checked her rearview mirror and almost crashed when she saw Matt chasing after the car. She slammed the brakes on in the driveway and Matt was running so fast that he couldn't stop himself in time. He crashed straight into the back of the car with a giant thud. Jen immediately stopped the car and raced around to where Matt was.

"Oh my God, Matt!" she said, kneeling down to help him to his feet. "Are you alright? What the hell were you doing?" Matt slowly stood up and when his eyes met Jen's they both burst out laughing over what had just happened.

"I was…" Matt started but it was useless. Jen was still laughing and he too couldn't contain it. As their laughter subsided Jen looked up at Matt, her last hope pinned on what she was about to say to him.

"Please tell me you didn't slam into my car because I forgot a pen or something."

"No," Matt said. "Absolutely not." For months he had thought about what he would say in this moment but it had suddenly escaped him. He looked at Jen and suddenly knew what to do. He took a step towards her, placed his hands gently on the sides of her face and kissed her. Jen willingly reciprocated and when they finally opened their eyes Matt said the one thing he had been wanting to say for so long.

"Stay," he whispered.

"I thought you'd never ask," Jen replied with a smile as they kissed again.

THE END


End file.
